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Untold stories of a game developer

Monthly Archives: November 2013

I just wanted to share a photo I snapped this morning on my iPad. This is the current top grossing app iPad app on the App Store. It costs $8.99.

iOS 7 is a 3D operating system and the latest iOS chips are 64-bit. I believe that Apple is positioning their tablets, phones and future items as a true replacement for many gaming consoles and PCs used for work and play.

Look at the quality of some of the 3D titles available on the App Store. Playing them on your television with a controller is just an update away. From there, maybe it won’t be long before I can start working with Photoshop or Illustrator powered by a tablet or Apple TV.

As hard as it is to imagine, PCs could be replaced in the next decade and hopefully, it will be with something better–something we haven’t thought of yet.

I just read an article about the difference between wireframe, prototypes and mockups in app design. My response to the poster was this:

Although it is important to have a common language with the people you need to communicate with, there is no one right way to develop any idea into a finished product. In my opinion, articles like this can intimidate developers and prevent them from finishing a project because they are too worried about not doing something “the right way.”

Many projects never get past pre-production. Many developers never make a game because they are afraid of how their peers will judge them when they don’t seem savy enough. Many programmers never finish a project because they are intimidated by the complexities of doing things “the right way.”

I’ve met with many developers and toured game studios. The truth is, there is no right way to do anything, there is only what works for you at the time.

Popular terminology, programming languages, coding techniques and hardware platforms change but the goal never does: Reach the finish line however you can.

…and never let someone stop you because you’re not doing it “the right way.”

I just snapped this photo about ten minutes ago. I double-checked on a second app and it’s true. Apple developers now get 100 promo codes instead of 50. This has been enacted retroactively on all our apps.

This is a good thing. We have found promotional code giveaways to stimulate our sales. Win-win.